Ferrari, villas and gold scams in a Roma settlement

A new operation took place in Larisa ΕΛ.ΑΣ. against family Vilanakiwhich is associated with fraud, extortion and luxurious living against the background declared poverty.

Major operation Ελληνική Αστυνομία (Greek police, ΕΛ.ΑΣ.) was held on Thursday, June 4in the settlement Roma V Larisawhere family members live Vilanaki. According to Greek media, the reason was new complaints added to an existing case of fraud and extortion.

According to Proto Themeafter the publication of data from family members in April, at least more 15 new applications from people who claim to be victims of fraud and extortion. Based on these complaints, a new criminal part of the case was formed.

The operation was carried out with the participation Διεύθυνση Αντιμετώπισης ? (Office for Combating Organized Crime, ΔΑΟΕ) And Τμήμα Δίωξης Εκβιαστών (Anti-extortion department). According to Zouglaat least one arrest and discovery of a weapon was reported during the new operation.

Double life: poverty in words, luxury in deeds

Family matter Vilanaki became resonant back in the spring, when ΕΛ.ΑΣ. published the data of group members associated with the scam with the so-called “golden lire”. According to investigators, this was not about one episode, but about a scheme with signs of organized criminal activity.

Caused particular irritation contrast between the public image and the real life of the persons involved. According to Greek media, family members were presented as poor and living in difficult conditionsbut the investigation discovered a completely different picture: luxury houses, large plots of land, expensive cars, including Porsche And Ferrarias well as elements of infrastructure that the media described as a helipad.

Newsbeast wrote that the police published the data of the defendants precisely because of suspicions of widespread criminal activity and the possible presence of new victims. Κουτί της Πανδώρας also reported villas, weapons, golden lire and signs of a luxurious lifestyle.

And here the main question arises, which in Greece they usually try to ask in a whisper: how do people who may formally look socially vulnerable show signs of wealth, luxury and influence for years, and the state notices this only after a series of complaints? Convenient blindness is also part of the system.

Scams, extortion and “informal judges”

According to the case materials, family members Vilanaki are suspected of systematic activities related to fraud and extortion. One of the episodes that received wide publicity concerned a scheme involving the sale of supposedly valuable gold liras, where, according to media reports, the damage could exceed 1 million euros. The TV channel previously reported this MEGA.

Greek media also write that the defendants could serve as peculiar “informal judges” in disputes between families within part of the Roma communityreceiving large sums for it. If this version is confirmed, we are no longer talking about just fraud, but about a parallel system of influence, where fear, money and family ties replace the law.

This is exactly the case when the problem is not ethnic origin as such. The problem is criminalized groups within closed environments, where the state has for years provided neither normal integration, nor control, nor real protection for victims. The result is predictable: some of these zones begin to live by their own rules, and ordinary citizens are faced with a choice – remain silent, pay, or go to the police after they have been robbed.

The media image of the “baron” and the real deal

The name attracted special media attention Marcos Vilanakis. Several years ago he appeared in gossip columns due to his relationship with his ex Star Hellas Dionysia Kukiu. Then he was presented as an entrepreneur from Larisa and was even called “Gypsy Baron”and the story was presented almost like a glossy novel.

Today this old media image looks especially grotesque. What was previously sold to the public as an exotic secular story now emerges against the backdrop of a criminal case, searches, suspicions of extortion and a luxurious life, the origins of which should be of interest not only to journalists, but also to the tax authorities. Glossy fairy tales sometimes smell bad if you open the accounting department.

Police are looking for new victims

ΕΛ.ΑΣ. continues to investigate and encourages possible victims to contact Τμήμα Δίωξης Εκβιαστών. According to Greek media, citizens can call 210-6476915 And 210-6476765. The police promise to ensure the anonymity of the applicants.

This call is important: in cases of extortion and fraud, victims often remain silent out of fear, shame, or the belief that nothing will change anyway. That is why the publication of these defendants in the spring and the new operation in Larisa could lead to the emergence of new complaints.

If the number of applications does increase, it will be up to the family Vilanaki may turn out to be much broader than the original “golden lire” scheme. And then the question will no longer be only about a specific family, but about how long such structures could operate almost openly.

Editorial comment

Family story Vilanaki is not just a crime chronicle from Larisa. This symptom of a deeper problem: In Greece, there have been gray areas for years where criminal groups can combine social benefits, ostentatious poverty, expensive cars, luxury homes and fear of others. And the state, as usual, wakes up only when the scandal can no longer be hidden under the carpet.

It is important not to turn this case into an indictment against all Roma. This would be both unfair and legally dirty. But it is equally wrong to pretend that the ethnic and closed communal factor does not matter here at all. When criminal networks are formed inside part of the settlements, which live by their own rules, put pressure on people and make money from fraud, the problem is no longer just a police problem. This is a failure of integration, control, social policy and security.

If ΕΛ.ΑΣ. really wants to see the matter through to the end; one demonstrative operation is not enough. We need money on the trail, tax audits, protection of victims, verification of property, connections, weapons and possible patrons. Because Porsche, villas and gold scams do not appear out of thin air. They appear where someone has chosen not to look for too long.

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